Edited by BarneyR. All errors are mine.

A spin out on ‘black ice’ caused my life to spin out of control.

My name is Chuck Remes I am 36; I was a computer security specialist. I am also a very successful published author of young adult and romance fiction. I was 34 when driving to mother’s I skidded on some ‘black ice’.

I had been married to Caren Remes (nee Carson) for 6 years. She was 32 when I put her car in the ditch, and was and is a ‘sight for sore eyes’. A beauty with exotic features, and long straight brown hair down to her shoulder blades, blues eyes and a daylight bright smile.

I met Caren when I 24, and was walking out of a restaurant after a client meeting. I heard a commotion coming from a couple of cars away from mine. It sounded like a whimper of pain. I went over toward the sound, and found a young woman down on the ground holding a quickly swelling ankle.

I went to her and told her to relax and take a couple of deep breaths. As I saw her visibly relax I picked her up and parked her in the grass so a car leaving the lot wouldn’t hit her by accident. Then I called 911, and told the young lady that I was going back into the restaurant to get some ice. I assured her I would be back ASAP.

As I got a large towel full of ice and left the building again, I could hear sirens in the far distance. We were in a very busy area of the city, so I just hoped they were coming for her.

When I got back to her, she was shivering. After I got the ice wrapped around her ankle, I ran to my pickup and got a moving blanket that I keep for ground cover for if I have a break down on the road. I covered her with the blanket and talked softly to her to calm her somewhat.

I had just about got her calmed down, when the EMTs showed up. I backed away, and I could see I wasn’t needed anymore, so after giving the first responders my contact information, I left.

I was at work the following Monday, and getting ready to go on a client call when I was summoned to the office. When I got there, I was surprised when the young lady from the restaurant was there with a walking boot and crutches. My boss, Gary Carson introduced me to his niece, Caren.

Looking toward the young lady Gary said; “Here he is, the man you were looking for.”

Then he turned to me as I walked in. “This is Caren, my niece. She wanted to return something to you.”

With that Caren handed me the ratty old moving blanket. I laughed because she had even washed it.

“You did not have to bring this back, I am just glad I had it. It looked to me like you were going into shock so it was a no brainer that you needed warmth. How bad is your ankle? I hope it is just a sprain.”

“Yes, it’s a bad sprain, but not broken. I’ll be in this boot and crutches for a couple weeks and the boot alone for a couple more. I wanted to thank you for your help. The EMTs gave me the information you gave them. Then when I told Uncle Gary about my falling off a curb and the name of my rescuer, he laughed so hard he had tears in his eyes.”

After I explained that I had a priority call to go out on, we exchanged phone numbers and I promised to call her as soon as I could.

That was the start of a great dating relationship. I called her that evening and we talked for a few minutes and talked about getting together for a date.

I took her to a nice restaurant and we had a nice talk. She told me she was 23, and had just completed her bachelor’s degree in business management. She was currently working as an administrative assistant for an executive for a local manufacturing company. She also told me she liked live music of most types and live theatre. As we parted that night, she asked if I wanted to date again.

I said yes, and told her that I would call as soon as I was not on call. I explained that the business that I worked in was a 24/7 concern, and each technician and engineer was on a rotating on call schedule.

For the next week, it seemed that any problem that could happen to a computer system happened to our clients. When the week ended I had put in almost 60 hours, and I was exhausted.

Saturday the rotation changed so I called Caren. I told her of my rough week and asked if she minded if I just brought her to my house and cooked her dinner and we watched a DVD. She thought it was a great idea.

We had dinner and watched a ‘Game of Thrones’ DVD that was about a third of a season.

We dated for about six weeks and I took her back to the same restaurant that we went to on our first date. When I took her home that night, she told me she loved me and that she wanted exclusivity or for us to stop dating.

She got an angry look when I tried to stifle a laugh. “Honey, I sorry for laughing, but I have been exclusive since I rescued you and for about a year before. You are the only lady that I have any interest in. I love you so much, that there could be a parade of Playboy Bunnies walking down the street and I wouldn’t notice them if I was with you.”

She smiled, kissed me good night, and went inside.

We dated for a couple of more months, and on her birthday, I asked her to marry me. She said yes. It seemed that this was a good time to meet the parents.

My parents and my younger sister loved Caren. They thought she was wonderful and that I was lucky to have found her.

A brief but significant bit of trouble came when I was introduced to her parents. Her father was not thrilled that I did not get introduced before we were engaged. Caren started to say something when her mother stopped the inquisition with the words. “You asshole, an attitude like that is what drove Caren away. She came back to have us meet the man she loves, and if you can’t be civil, get your ass out of this house until they leave.”

He looked at me with undisguised hate. I just took Caren’s hand and walked her out of that room.

I said; “Caren, I love you with my entire being. You make the air I breathe sweet. Please don’t take this wrong, but I will not go back in that room and will leave if your father is there. I know they are your family, but if your father is that dead set against me, we will be starting our marriage with a big problem.”

“Please don’t leave without me. I will go tell mother we are leaving, and I will be right back.” With that, she went back in the living room.

I heard some yelling and Caren’s voice; “You prick, you have to ruin everything. That man, who I love, in there is ready to leave without me if you don’t leave. I will not force you to leave your own house, but I will NEVER come in this house when you are here again. You will not be invited to the wedding. You will not walk me down the aisle; you will not give me away. I will NOT miss you. Your not being there will not be noticed by me but it will be noticed by others. My mother is welcome, you are not.”

With that she came back in the room where I was and grabbed my arm and we left.

Caren said the only reason she wanted me to meet them was tradition. As to who would be the stand in for her father, Aunt Caren’s husband Jeff would do the honors.

Well, Aunt Caren and Uncle Jeff were pleased and happy for Caren. They genuinely liked me and made me feel right like one of the family. When they heard from my Caren about the confrontation, they were not surprised.

Plans for the wedding were in full swing when I got hurt on the job and I was hospitalized or in rehab for most of a year. I had a broken back, hip, one arm and both legs. I also managed to injury my groin to the point I was sterile. I was in a company car on the way to meet a client when a truck lost its brakes and t-boned my car in the driver’s side door.

The trucking company was bankrupted by the settlement I and the company got, it seems they knew the truck had faulty brakes and had been skimping on maintenance on vehicles.

It was while I was in rehab that I started writing to relieve the boredom. My boss thought they were very good and sent several of the bodice rippers (romance novels) off to a publisher. I received a substantial advance, and a contract for five more books. Then my sneaky boss sent the same publisher the young adult books and I got another somewhat smaller advance and a contract for two more books.

I would always need a back brace, and walk with a limp. Caren stuck with me through it all. She was a brick even when I encouraged her to find someone who would not cause her the heartache and pain that my injuries had caused her.

Because of the monies from the accident, and the royalties from my books, I was advised to protect myself. I had a trust fund setup and had my royalties added to the legal settlement. I also had my lawyer write a pre-nup. Caren signed it without any protest.

About 30 months after we became engaged, we were finally married. It was a wonderful wedding. The honeymoon was great, and other than a sore back from the long drive, I was fine and in love.

I had the trust buy a house and some land outside the city, and we moved in after we had been married a year. Life was good, and things were moving along nicely when about five years after we were married things changed.

That October her boss retired and the company replaced him in November with a much younger man. It was as if a light switch had been turned off on our sex life. For the next six weeks after she was assigned to him I could have been a wart on her hand. There was no caring, no hugs, no kisses, and definitely no sex.

Then one night I brought Caren home some roses and a box of the chocolates that she loved. I was trying to show her my love.

She didn’t say thank you, give me kiss, or make any show of appreciating my gesture. What she did do is just bubble over about her new young, handsome, boss and how he was just the best boss in the world.

She didn’t notice I was getting pissed about all the praise. OK, I was jealous, and probably for no reason. That night Caren asked if something was bothering me and like a pouting little boy I said no and went and slept on the couch.

My car wouldn’t start, and my company car was in the shop, so I left a note on the box of chocolates telling Caren to rent a car until I could get mine fixed. I left for work in her car. The people in the office knew something was up and walked near me as if the floor around me was glass and there was drop of a mile under it. About 2:00 I got a call, it was Caren, and she was crying.

“Chuck, what did I do, you were mad at me for some reason.”

I still had a good mad on so I said; “Well, seeing as your new boss didn’t cheer you up, I guess his shit stinks as bad as mine. I will go to a hotel tonight, and you can tell your wonderful asshole boss that you’re all alone.”

Then I hung up the phone.

I called the switchboard and told them that I would not accept any personal calls for the rest of the week.

I stopped at the house and Caren was sitting in the kitchen staring into space. I walked into the bedroom and grabbed a clean uniform, some clean underwear and socks and left without saying a word.

The next morning, I was summoned to the boss’ office. When I got there, he started to go off on me about how “Caren had called their house last night and wanted to know what I had said about what she had done to piss me off.”

That put me right over the edge. “I have worked in this office for more than six and a half years, and never once pried into your personal live, stay the FUCK out of mine.” Then I added; “I know you don’t respond well to threats, but you ever try to pry into my personal life again, I will quit.”

I stormed out of the office, punched out and went for a drive to cool down. I was about an hour out of town when my company cellphone went off.

It was my boss. “Look Chuck, I’m sorry for the prying, but your wife and mine have become good friends. My wife was upset and insisted I try to help.”

I was still steamed; “My resignation will be on your desk before close of business today. I told you to keep out of my personal life.”

I turned the phone off, turned around and went back to the office. I typed my resignation. I went to his office and put it in his hand along with the office and car keys and company cellphone.

I went back to my car and drove off. I stopped at a Walmart and got the cheapest TracFone flip phone and a 300 minute card to load into it. When it was fully activated, I called home.

Caren answered; “Hello; may I ask is calling?”

“Caren it’s Chuck, your current husband. I am calling so you have my new phone number. I am staying away until you decide what is more important, your fucking new boss or the husband you have ignored for more then a month.” I continued. “I will continue to pay all of the bills, but when I do come home, I expect the wife I married to be there or you gone. OK?”

“Chuck, what did I do? What do you mean current husband? I don’t understand what you are so pissed off about.”